Clasp-knife.



NESTOR SAHLSTEN, or MOUNT IRON, MINNESOTA.

CLASP-KNIFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1907.

Application filed February 4, 1907. Serial No. 355,610.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, NESTOR SAHLSTEN, a citizen of the Grand Duchy of Finland, residing at Mount Iron, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ClaspKnives; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to clasp knives and has for its object the provision of a knife including a pivotal blade, andpositive locking means for holding said blade in open or closed position and for preventing accidental opening or closing thereof.

It has for a further and independent object the arrangement of the locking means in such manner that it will puzzle anyone to open it if they have not been previously made acquainted with the mode of its operation.

It consists of the constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1, is a side elevation of said knife in open position. Fig. 2, is a back view of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the same side as Fig. 1, but shows portions of the locking means moved into releasing or unlocking position. Fig. 4, is an end elevation of a keeper forming part of the locking means. Fig. 5, is a plan view of the locking bolt. Fig. 6, is a side elevation of the locking bolt. Fig. 7, is a vertical longitudinal section through said knife in locked open condition. Fig. 8, is a side elevation of said knife in partly open position, the tip of the blade beingbroken away.

In the drawings 1 is a blade provided near its heel onv one side with a projection or lug 1 and provided on its opposite side, preferably a little farther away from its heel) with a projection or lug 1 shown in broken lines. A pair of cheek plates 2 and 3 are positioned on opposite sides of said blade, each of which cheek plates have an irregular edge at one end demarking a finger a, and a tongue 1), between which tongue and finger appears a recess 0. At such' edge is also formed the shoulder d. The heel of said blade is pivoted as at 1 to and between said tongues of the opposite cheek pieces. These cheek pieces or cheek plates, are preferably spaced from each other through the greater part of their length by a spacing rib or fillet E, formed on one of them. Upon the outer side of the cheek piece 3, is secured a face plate 4 which is preferably scored on its side and. edges as at 43*, to simulate divisions in the hereinafter mentioned opposite face plate. On the outer side of the face plate 2, is secured a sectional face plate, including fixed portions 5 and a sliding key 6, and a bolt head 7. Then this key and. bolt head are in normal operative position the division lines between them and the fixed portions of said face plate will closely resemble the score lines in the opposite face plate. To said bolt head '7 is secured a bolt 7 preferably made of flat spring metal, which bolt is indented in one edge intermediate of its ends as at 7 This bolt is projected through a channel formed in the inner face of the fixed portions 5, and through a channel 6 formed in the key 6 and through an eye formed in a lug 8 secured to the cheek piece 3 or to the face plate 4, and extendinginto a recess 5 formed in the fixed portion 5.

It will be noted that the indentation 7 is longer than the key 6 is wide, and that when the key 6 is in operative position the thick portion of one of its ends will be drawn into the indent of the bolt; the channel in the key will not of course at such time register with the channel in the fixed portions 4, and the bolt cannot then be drawn from engagement with said eye in the lug 8. At such time the projection l will rest against the shoulder d, and the projection 1 will rest against the finger a of the opposite cheek piece. Thus the cheek pieces and side plates are locked in position by said bolt, key and eye, and the blade is locked in position by said projection 1 and 1 bearing against the cheek pieces in cooperation with the intermediate pivot pin 1).

To close the knife, the key is first slipped into the position shown in Fig. 2, the bolt is then withdrawn from the eye by placing the thumb nail against a rib 7 c on the bolt head and pushing such head a short distance toward the point of the blade. The free ends of the handle are then drawn apart from each other to disengage the lug 8 from the recess 5 on the pin through the opposite arcs of a circle until they again meet and inclose the edge of the blade, being again slightly sprung apart at their free ends to first clear the lug 8, and admit it to the recess 5*. The bolt is then again shot into closed position engaging the eye and the key is drawn into engage- The opposite face plates are then swung ment with the indent and so that its ends will be flush with the edges of the fixed portions 5. During the 0 eration the projection 1 will have passe around the edge of the tongue and entered the recess 0 on the same side of the blade, and the projection 1 will have assed in the opposite direction around the e ge of the tongue on the plate 3 and will bear against the shoulder 61 of said plate 3.

Thus the blade will be locked in closed posi-' extending at its heel between said tongues and ivoted thereto, said blade being providecf with a lug extending from one side of its heel and adapted to bear against the shoulder of one of said check pieces, said blade being provided with a lug extending from the other side of its heel and adapted to bear against said finger on the other of said cheek pieces, a spacing rib, a sectional face plate positioned against the outer face of one of said check plates, said face plate being channeled in its inner face for a portion of its length, said channeled portion including a transversely sliding key in which the width of the channel is increased, said face plate also including a longitudinally slidable bolt head, an apertured lug or eye extending from the opposite cheek late across the space between the two chee plates and into a recess communicating with the channel in said face plate so that the eye in said lug will register with said channel, a bolt extending from said bolt head into said channel and adapted to be projected through the channel in said key an to continue through said eye, so as to lock the cheek plates in parallel position, said bolt having an indent in one edge into which a portion of said key may be drawn to revent retraction of said bolt, and a face p ate positioned against the outer face of the opposite said cheek plate and secured thereto.

2. In a clasp knife, the combination of a pair of cheek plates each having a tongue, a

finger and a shoulder formed on one of its ends; a blade extending at its heel between said tongues and pivoted thereto, and rovided on one side with a lug ada ted to ear against said shoulder on one 0 said cheek plates, and provided on the opposite side to ear against said finger on the other of said cheek plates an apertured lug adapted to move with one of said cheek plates and in operation to extend into the opposite cheek plate; a bolt adapted in operation to extend through said eye, and a key adapted in operation to engage said bolt.

In testimony whereof I hereunto alfix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

NESTOR SAHLSTEN. Witnesses:

JAMES T. WATSON, WILLIAM J. STEvENsoN. 

